Description

Come and join a fun and friendly group of international volunteers help run a beautiful hostel in the heart of Istanbul!

Open since 2004 we are small hostel with a big reputation, having won multiple awards for customer service and value for money. We really take pride in our hostel and are looking for volunteers who can work with the same care and attention to detail.

We have between 4-6 volunteers here at a time.

No experience working in hostels is required, but preferred, or you'd have to be willing to get to it =) We don't really need help at the reception so this is not a great place if you were hoping to improve / learn about it, unfortunately.

We cannot receive couples, unfortunately.

Ideally, the perfect candidate is an experienced traveller, used to hostels, between age 20-35, to best fit with our backpackers guests =)

Currently, our shifts are mostly focused on cleaning, doing beds, laundry and all these little things.

However, if everyone does a great job, 2h of cleaning per shift are plenty, it's mostly about keeping the environment pleasant for volunteers and guests!

IMPORTANT NOTE:

The hostel comprises 5 floors without any elevator. Which means you have to be able to go up and down, sometimes a few times per shifts.

Type d'aide

Echange culturel et opportunités d'apprendre

Istanbul is a magical, ancient cıty spanning two continents. We can offer you a base from which to explore this city's rich, history, and a hot cup of Turkish tea the morning after you discover it's modern and never-sleeping night life.

Our hostel in the center of the city. From here you can walk to all major tourist and historical sites. Alternatively you take take the metro- the nearest station being Taksim with links to the entire city. A short boat ride across the Bosporus takes you to Asia to continue your exploration of this beautiful city.

We provide you
-A central location from which to explore Istanbul
-A local registration
-Comfortable bed in dorm
-Unlimited access to wireless internet
-Laundry
- A great tıme wıth a team of ınternatıonal volunteers
-Access to a professionally equipped kitchen with groceries to cook with. We cook our own food here but often we try to share communal meals in the evening where we can all talk and socialise together

Aide

We have several shifts available, normally we rotate the times and do the following:

Basic volunteering : (3 weeks+)
-working hours are- 5 hours a day
-interacting with the guests and helping to create a friendly and welcoming atmosphere
-basic cleaning of the hostel- sweeping, mopping floors, emptying bins, bathrooms
-changing beds and laundry for guests after they have checked-out

For volunteers committed to staying long-term, there are possibilities to advance to a more "managerial" position.

The job involves mostly taking care of all the volunteering aspects, making schedule, forming staff, taking care of some reception work. On top of the basic offer of bed and food, you would receive a salary based on the Turkish wage.

This job is only available for long stay (6 months). In order to get the job, notify us in your application. We cannot promise the job in advance, it will be up to how well you fit in the hostel. Beginners are also welcome, Again, we will see during your time with us if the job is a good match for you.

Available from September onwards.

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NEW NEW NEW NEW!!!

I need help set up BananaDesk and MyAllocator online. I need someone experimented who KNOWS both and can help set up the channels and everything. No emergency, but please let me know if you actually do know how to use them.

Langues parlées

Turkish, English, French

Hébergement

Dorm bed

We provide dry goods such as pastas, grains, rıce, eggs, cheese and eggs (no meat) along with a basic spice shelf. Once a week we buy seasonal vegetables. With these things you can cook as many meals as you want.

Autre chose...

Sadly we do not accept couples as cannot accommodate in the shift rotas.

Nastasia commitment to her work, her dedication and her attention to details was greatly appreciated. She was constantly doing more than was expected of her, showed great attention to rules but beside her work ethic, she was a really great companion to have around, always making sure her co-volunteers had a good time, as well as being helpful and… read more attentive to the guests.

We were truly blessed to have her around, she was brightening the place with her smile, wits, kindness and generosity.

Thought Sasha (Yin-Chien) could not stay as long as we hoped, we had a really good time with her at the hostel. Sasha is really dedicated, conscientious and overall a curious hard-working person. It was a pleasure to be around her, she made guests feel comfortable and was always a warm presence to the group.

Thank you so much for your hard work… read more and best of luck on your journey!!

Basil was such a treat! He was an amazing volunteer to have around. Great not only at his job or following the rules but always going beyond what was expected of him, he always had a smile on his face and would be such a pleasant to be around for both the staff and guests.

We had a great time with him at the hostel and would definitely recommend… read more him for other workaway experiences !

I volunteered in this hostel for almost a month and feels like I have a family in Istanbul. The team is fun and suppotive and the place was comfortable, location is great. I defenatly recommend volunteering there. I would love to go back one day. Peace and love

Nicolas was a fantastic addition to our team. His naturally cheerful behaviour, manners, hard-work made him a valuable part of our hostel during his stay. We would definitely recommend Nicolas for future workaway.

I had such a great time in Istanbul helping here.
The work is as described before coming and not too hard. The location of the hostel is perfect and it is a great way to discover this beautiful city.
But the best part is the people you get to meet there, I had such a wonderful time with the other volunteers and I hope we'll meet again.
Annick the… read more new manager is making sure the work is fair and that every volunteer feels comfortable in the hostel.
Would definitely recommend to spend a month there!

Gautıer was just so fun to have around, hard-workıng but also frıendly wıth guests and staff, he would easıly be the life of the party. We had an amazıng wıth hım around and would really recommend hostınghım for any job

The best multicultural experience in my life. I stayed here for two months and met a lot of really good persons. Annick, E-man, Aida, Ahmet and other guys thank you for such a good opportunity to be a part of perfect team! See you soon)

Gosha (Egor) was a fantastıc addıtıon to our team. Hard-workıng, funny, compassıonate... We had an amazıng team wıth hım and would not only have hım back anytıme but would also recommend hım. Such happıness and posıtıvıty makes hım brıghten any room by hıs presence!

What was not to lıke about Tıma? Though ıt was her very fırst experıence ın a hostel, she showed nothıng but care and dedıcatıon to every task, often goıng beyond expectatıons. Such a lovely, heart-warmıng personalıty made her a great member of our team. We would defınıtely recommend her for future host, whıchever the fıeld, sınce we strongly… read more belıeves she can adapt easıly as well as proves how eager she ıs to take on new challenges.

I stayed at Chambers for more than a month and it was amazing! The owner, Ahmed is very helpfull and manager Aida as well! We had so much fun together with the other workawayers and it’s a perfect way to get to know Istanbul. The work is like it’s described and you never work more than 5 hours. I really miss those guys, it became like a second… read more family and will visit them as soon as I can.

(Excellente
)

02.04.2019

Laissé par le workawayer (Bibin) pour l'hôte

First of all, Thank you Aida for accepting my request! It was a great place to see and discover Istanbul while doing some easy work and interacting with volunteers and guests. This is not a party hostel and the owner, Ahmet, who is a little bit of a stickler, is very serious about that. I don't mean that in a negative manner. Although the owner is… read more a little conservative, he is a very sweet person and actually cares about the well being of his volunteers and does go out of the way to help you. He is just a little over-protective of us and that's it aha.

However, if you do choose to go to this hostel, go there because of Aida (and the other volunteers). Aida is the manager of the hostel and she is the sweetest person ever! she makes sure you are comfortable in the environment and goes out of her way to accommodate you to settle in and to make sure you are happy with the shift. She is extremely reasonable with the shift and will make changes if you talk to her in advance. And the other volunteers (especially the long term ones) are amazing and just loves to hang out with you and help you out. Overall I had a great time at the hostel volunteering! Happy volunteering yall :)

One of the most amazing experiences we have ever had using workaway! Ahmet is super awesome and warm-hearted person. We spent in hostel about two months and acquired so many friends and new knowledge. The atmosphere here is utopic ahah, we really got along with other volunteers and did many activities together. We learned about Turkish culture and… read more cuisine a lot as well as picked up some vocabulary. Nevertheless, however fun and cool it is there, please, never neglect all your duties so to always keep this marvelous place as it is!
Love you all, miss you always, see you again. Cheers!❤️❤️❤️

There are not enough words to describe this wonderful friend. They arrived and became part of our family immediately. They interacted with our guests and other Workawayers and were constantly looking for ways to assist in any project or task. We were blessed to have them so don't turn down a chance to host them.
Karina and Dimitry we miss you alot… read more and you are always welcome here.

One in a million!Alex is a kind and compassionate human being and an all-around perfect volunteer! It was a great luck to have this Artistic soul as a part of our team , he helped us with everything *️ Arrenging the rooftop , Painting the rooms, tiding our messy storage *️ He's a hard worker and doesn't need to be told what to do as he will… read more quickly see what needs doing and work on his own initiative.
This resless soul was professional in turning a chaos to beauty. You will be blessed if you are lucky enough to have Alexey visit!
Thank you so much for all the hard work and help, Alex. We wish you all the very best with your travels.

Words cannot begin to convey what an amazing volunteer Eman was at our hostel! He volunteered with us for a month and was always proactive and full of desires to improve the hostel we Hope he will be back soon. Many of the improvements we now have are thanks to him. He is hard-working, exceptionally reliable, and always willing to do more than was… read more asked for. Eman was always welcoming to guests and did everything with a lot of attention to details.) If you have a chance to host him, we would recommend you don't miss out!

I had a great time volunteering at this hostel! Ahmet (the owner) and Aida (the manager especially made my stay special. The work was fine, 5 hours a day of standard cleaning and Aida was great for giving you days off together in a row to get a chance to visit another place or take a little trip. Ahmet is such an interesting man and made delicious… read more food for everyone at least once a week which was a definite highlight for me. Also the kitchen was always well stocked with food for volunteers to cook with which was a great money saver and a nice way to bond with other volunteers. Definitely not a party hostel but more like a big, happy family!

Louisa stayed with us for about a month and she is an extremely interesting individual which i always enjoyed listening to her point of views. she is highly intelligent, motivated and capable of any task.
Louisa was a great help which i am happy to have her as a part of our team, I hope she comes back again in the future and I strongly recommend… read more her for any job.

(Excellente
)

08.01.2019

Laissé par l'hôte pour le workawayer (Kit)

Kit is a very interesting person who i always enjoyed sharing thoughts with, She stayed with us more than three weeks and got along well with the other Workawayers from the first moment.
Her maturity is beyond what her years and gentle demeanor would indicate. She always showed up for volunteering on time, and tackled every task I threw at… read more her.
This is a young lady with a very mature attitude and way of thinking. We wish you well Kit and hope to see you back here soon.

(Excellente
)

08.01.2019

Laissé par le workawayer (Kit) pour l'hôte

Spent a fantastic few weeks volunteering in the Chambers! The owner Ahmet and the manager Aida made my time there very memorable and enjoyable - there was always a laugh to be had on shift and when we finished work. Volunteers share a staff dorm and there is a lot of communal cooking which really bonded us together. The hostel is in an excellent… read more location - a friendly, safe, vibrant neighbourhood full of shops, restaurants, bars, galleries and live music venues. Also situated close to metro and trams and within walking distance of the quirky, less touristy neighbourhood of Galata. The work is straightforward: 5 hours a day, 5 days a week (usually two morning, two afternoon and one evening shift) mostly consisting of cleaning, making beds, doing laundry, watching the reception and hanging out with guests to create a fun atmosphere for all. Aida was excellent for accommodating people's requests for days off which allowed volunteers to make the most of their time exploring Istanbul and surrounding areas which was a huge bonus. Overall an excellent experience, would highly recommend and love to go back someday!

Nıcola stayed with us for three weeks, he is very easy going, kind, trustworthy, hardworking, reliable and genuine which makes him a perfect workawayer. beside that no matter what was the task he never complain and always finish it on time.
we are so happy that he join our team and it was a honor to know him and now have him as a friend.
wish you… read more luck in your Journey Nicola and remember you are always welcome here!

(Excellente
)

06.12.2018

Laissé par le workawayer (Enilse Patricia) pour l'hôte

I just want to say THANKS YOU, my experience in this place was amazing.
The work every day was so nice, comfortable and flexible.
Mr. Ahmet thanks thanks for allowing me to share my knowledge as Barista. I hope come back to Istanbul and visit you again.

Hannah is a great young girl! She's more than an helper: She's a friend, a talented and acaring companion, last but not least, a true free thinker. She stayed with us for more than a month. We hope you can come back soon to our hostel,Hannah! ;-)

(Excellente
)

22.11.2018

Laissé par l'hôte pour le workawayer (Federico)

Although Federıco stay for a short time with us we are happy to have him as a part of our team. His company is truly pleasant and really enjoy talking to him (specially about Pasta), His heart is really tender, he is a very honest and transparent guy and in the same time hard worker and responsible.
We hope to see her soon man! :)

Annick was with us from end of June until early September. First as a volunteer, she became manager for the rest of her stay. Great in communicating with the team, assertive but also fun to hang out with, Annick was a great addition to our team with her energy, positive attitude and awesome cooking skills =)

We would recommend her to anyone… read more looking for a serious yet fun volunteer!

(Excellente
)

04.10.2018

Laissé par l'hôte pour le workawayer (Carlos)

Carlos stayed and worked with us almost a month . he was friendly , flexible , patient and easy going volunteer and we are happy to have him in our team.
hope to see you soon Carlos and you're always welcome here.

(Excellente
)

05.09.2018

Laissé par l'hôte pour le workawayer (Gabriel)

Gabriel was with us for the month of August as a volunteer. He does a marvelous job, caring about his duty as well as being a very pleasant person to be around, always cheerful and helping around! We would definitely recommend Gabriel!

Have a great time back home!! =)

(Excellente
)

05.09.2018

Laissé par l'hôte pour le workawayer (Jason)

Fantastic experience. Jason was a great addition to our team, he is a very cheerful person, works meticulously and was overall an amazing person to have around. Thanks a lot for your time here!!

Trini was with us for about two months in Istanbul. She is a very pleasant person, sweet, helpful, with always a kind word. Her experience here was great, she is not only used to hostel life but also knows about the work and was dutifully completing every task with a smile.

Edgar was with us for three months and took responsibilities as manager. Despite his discreet temper, he was a great addition to our team and was a very hard-working and benevolent volunteer. We were delighted with his ability to tackle problems and would definitely recommend him for a hostel management position.
Best of luck in your future… read more endeavors Ed!

Lovely people and lovely hostel. What a nice experience I had working for this hostel. Friendly people, Ahmet always as charmy as he usually is and the hostel vibes always soothing. The duties in the hostel are simply, it's a matter of keeping the areas tidy and have an eye for details. I had a lot of time to see the city after work, can't wait to… read more be back already!

Good vibes,
Ed

(Excellente
)

15.08.2018

Laissé par l'hôte pour le workawayer (Marcela)

We were delıghted to host Marcela, she truly ıs such a hard-workıng cheerfull person ıt was really a pleasure to have her wıth us.
We would defınıtely recommend future host to have her, Marcela's happy and vıbrant personalıty and her dedıcatıon to work were a tremendous addıtıon to our team.

We wısh you nothıng but the best, have a great tıme… read more Marce!!

(Excellente
)

07.08.2018

Laissé par le workawayer (Antonio) pour l'hôte

I spent one month working in Chambers and my experience was excellent. Ahmet, the owner has something special. He's a very good man and overall is very very funny. Im so glad to met him. But my heart is with the rest of the volunteers. I have met beautiful people in Chambers, people that make me feel at home since the first moment. I will never… read more forget my family in chambers. I totally recommend to do a workaway in this hostel because the work is very easy to do and in exchange you will have a lot of time for yourself enjoying this amazing Istanbul. Thank you so much family from Chambers to gift me this great experience with all of you.

Comıng to work ın the hostel was Antonio's fırst workawayproject. On arrıval he was somewhat apprıhensıve- new work, new cıty.

Antonıo grew from strength to strength adaptıng to hostel lıfe wıth ease, workıng wıth pressıcıon and dedıcatıon to any task gıven to hım. He ıs trustworthy and relıable and has been an asset to our team here at Chambers.… read more He ıs a valuable team member, frıendly, fun and approachable. He has been everyone's 'bıg brother' and wıll be greatly mıssed.

Antonıo, thank you very much for all your help. Best wıshes ın all that you do!

(Excellente
)

14.06.2018

Laissé par l'hôte pour le workawayer (Elisabeth)

Zabby has stayed wıth us for the past 2 months ın Istanbul. Orıgınally comıng as a volunteer, due to her commıtment and hıgh standards of work we were happy to to promote her to manage the hostel. Throughout thıs tıme she worked to a very hıgh standard maıntaınıng the hostel, wrıtıng volunteer schedules, admınıstratıve work, and co-ordınatıng the… read more volunteer arrıvals. Zabby ıs trustworthy and dependable. She ıs always cheerful and full of energy. Ideally, we wanted her to stay longer wıth us, but she desıded to contınue on travellıng. We wıll mıss you allot. Come back soon!

(Excellente
)

14.06.2018

Laissé par le workawayer (Elisabeth) pour l'hôte

I spent 2 months workıng ın thıs beautıful hostel ın Istanbul. The owner, Mr. Ahmet ıs so funny and welcomıng. He wıll do everythıng he can to make your stay more comfortable. The work ın the hostel ıs as you would expect- cleanıng ın the mornıng and more maıntenence and guest ınteratıon ın the evenıngs. The work schedule ıs faır and accomodatıng.… read more Whıle ı was there I slept ın a volunteer dorm whıch was very comfortable. Good kıtchen facılıtıes. Great locatıon! Would deffınatly reccomend to others. Thank you for havıng me!